In every season, a final game is imminent.

And while most players for NIU can look forward to next year, Ebony Ellis and Marke Freeman are not among them, as the two leading seniors could not help the Huskies overcome the shooting of Ohio (9-21 overall, 4-12 MAC).

With the Huskies (13-17, 7-9) dropping the first game of the MAC Tournament 72-56, Ellis and Freeman end their careers. Each achieved personal milestones, but the end was bitter, as the performances on Sunday night were not up to the standards NIU fans are accustomed to seeing.

Freeman came into the game averaging 16.3 points per game with 6.4 rebounds. But having attempted two field goals, neither of which fell, as the halftime buzzer sounded, Freeman carried two free-throw buckets into the locker room.

“We stayed down on her,” Ohio head coach Semeka Randall said of Freeman. “We didn’t allow her to break us down off her dribble penetration, and get uncontested shots. Hey, if she’s going to score, she’s going to score over the top of us.”

Freeman found the bottom of the net with less than two minutes left in the game, putting in back-to-back three-balls from the top of the arc, but it was too little, too late. She would finish with 12 points.

The same can be said for Ellis, who came into the game needing 23 points to break into the 1,000 point club. Putting down 18, Ellis just missed the mark. The opportunities were there as Ellis went 7-for-17 from the field, pulling down 10 offensive rebounds.

Even with the last game not turning in their favor, the team leaders, along with fellow seniors Bianca Brown and Terriel Cannon were made aware of their contributions to the program, as each was announced individually as they left the game for the last time.

“I’m so proud of our seniors this year,” junior Courtney Shelton said. “They’ve shown so much heart, determination. That’s what I want to go in my senior year. They’ve done so much for this program.”

NIU head coach Kathi Bennett’s biggest regret was not getting further in the tournament, particularly for the seniors. Freeman and Ellis’ performances could not help the Huskies to the second round of the tournament, but the remainder of the season would not have gone the way it did had it not been for their contributions, she indicated.

“I’m so disappointed for the seniors,” Bennett said. “[We] really wanted to keep winning. My disappointment is I don’t get to coach them anymore. They’re going to be hard to replace. It’s a huge hole.”